Pros Roosen – Kermt (BE) The ‘superstar’ in the ‘Provincial Championships’ KBDB Limburg ‘09

Pros was successful in business, had a good private life… and in his spare time, as a militant pigeon fancier … he had gathered ‘national glory’. He, the man who made Jos Soontjens from Wommelgem world famous… because in the period  1982-’91 Pros took  250 direct Soontjens pigeons to Kermt, of which nearly all went into the basket… and piloted the Pros Roosen-colony towards the ‘national Middle Distance top’. Thus came the ‘Soontjens pigeons’ in the international spotlight, and fanciers at home an abroad gradually found the way to ‘Wommelgem’, where Jos Soontjens had grown to be a ‘Sprint virtuoso’ to the horror of ‘Union Antwerp’, at the time sometimes described as the ‘High school’ of the Middle Distance! It seemed that nothing could go wrong for Pros Roosen, who sometimes won everything in the province Limburg and gave the rivals in the area a ‘run for their money’… to the extent that he was threatened with losing the friendship and affection of many sports friends, and out necessity… that he started concentrating everything on the Middle Distance and ‘extreme middle distance’, and just gave away his best sprint pigeons to his many friends. That is Pros Roosen… a top fancier, but a man with a ‘golden heart’. So everything ran smoothly, and he was flying high… until that day… yes, until that day when he had to be hospitalised for an operation which was to relieve him of his lingering back pain. The rest of the story is well known to everyone without us having to open this ‘black page’ in the life of Pros again. The major operation failed, 8 months of being in hospital followed… Pros would be confined to a wheelchair for the rest of his life. Imagine this for yourself dear people, and you will immediately realise what a ‘sledgehammer blow’ this was for the man, with fatal consequences for the rest of his life. There followed a dark period, but luckily Pros Roosen is  full of  ‘the joys of life’, a real ‘man of character’ that is prepared to brave the worst storms, to climb the highest mountains… nothing seems too high or too far… in short, a man that wants to go ‘forward’! Thanks to the great help from his wife, children, family and the many friends we can now say that Pros is crawling back from the dark hole, although in order to do this he has to do things differently. Pros has never been a ‘mass racer’. He always left for the races above 450 Km with a ‘small basket’, with no more than 2 to 3 pigeons…. something even more of an issue after the operation, because Pros was now forced to reduce his breeding and racing team. Luckily he found another right hand in the form of his current loft carer Martin, who stands by him with help and advice, and with whom he is once again marching to the absolute top in Limburg, and at national level. You can’t teach anything to Pros Roosen about pigeons, and he has passed on his ‘craftsmanship’ perfectly to his carer… who carries out everything to the last detail. Thus the breeding pigeons for the long distance were partly placed by friends so that his carer Martin could concentrate on the racing team… and only the 4 breeding boxes were populated with 4 exceptional ‘stock bears’ so as seldom seen, including clappers so as the ‘Chateauroux’, the ‘Top breeder Freddy’… and following their example at the moment, also the super cracks ‘Blue Prins’, the ‘Flits’ and the ‘Tarzan’! In 2009 these top breeders were put to breed extensively and from this team of youngsters 2009 Pros wants to put together a team of 30 yearlings for 2010… health allowing, adds Pros! Then the men from Kermt are going to slightly change course and take on the ‘mega breeders’, so as we sometimes describe these people, with a somewhat ‘bigger basket’. In 2008 and 2009 the first tests on a small scale were ‘very promising’… in other words the new breeding results that were subject to proper tests were good … the championships in 2008 were ‘very hopeful’… with in 2008:

2° Ace pigeon Grand middle distance – Centre & Est (with the ‘Super Asduifke’)
1° Ace pigeon Province Limburg- Grand middle distance (with the ‘Super Asduifke’)
5° General Prov. Champion of Limburg
3° Prov Ace pigeon Middle distance Yearlings
3° Prov Champion Long distance Yearlings
6° Prov Champion Middle distance Yearlings
8° Prov Champion Long distance Youngsters
11° Nat. Champion KBDB Yearlings

 

2009 brought some confirmation, and indicates that in 2010 they will be capable of pushing the ‘gas pedal’ down further… because once again the performance curve of the Pros Roosen team shot to unknown heights in 2009 (see performances below). On occasion it was impossible to race against them… and that was also immediately clear when the KBDB province Limburg produced the end results of the previous sport season world wide. Traditionally Pros Roosen stood once again as ‘number 1’ in the ‘Middle distance’… and was directly ‘back’ from ‘never being away’. Take a look with us at what the marvellous sport season 2009 has generated on titles:

1° Provincial Champion KBDB Middle distance Old Birds ‘09
1° Provincial Champion KBDB Middle distance Youngsters ‘09
2° Provincial Champion KBDB Long distance Youngsters ‘09
3° Ace pigeon Youngsters Centre & Est ‘09
1° Champion Club Long distance Wallonia with 1+2° Nominated ‘09
2° Champion Middle distance Old birds ‘Middle Distance Club Limburg’ 09 (30 clubs)
1° Champion Light Long distance  ’09 – Zonhoven

Etc…
Just superb… performances that will without give Pros Roosen courage and hopefully be the driving force for further top performances in the pigeon sport towards the future. Perhaps we can safely state that the ‘new’ Pros Roosen has arrived!

The loft 2009
The building up of the loft by the Pros Roosen colony can be split into two big episodes
-the period 1965-1981 where Pros laid the basis for his time-honoured stock which was built up with pigeons from ‘national figureheads’ so as Jan Grondelaers, Jef Carlens, Jef Vansweefelt, Fons Slaets, Herbots brothers and with pigeons from his deceased father out 1965. The figurehead of the Pros Roosen-colony out that period was undoubtedly the “Supercrack 327”. He was without doubt one of the best pigeons of his generation in the world, with the following overwhelming chain of titles:

1979: 3° Nat. Ace pigeon Yearlings    The Belgian pigeon sport
1980: 4° Nat. Ace pigeon Middle distance    The Belgian pigeon sport
1981: 5° Nat. Ace pigeon KBDB
1982: 1° Nat. Ace pigeon Middle distance    De Reisduif
2° Nat. Ace pigeon Middle distance    The Belgian pigeon sport
1983: 2° Nat. Ace pigeon Middle distance    The Belgian pigeon sport
2° Ace pigeon Middle distance    Flemish-Waals Long distance club
3° Nat. Ace pigeon Middle distance    The Reisduif

Pros discovered a real ‘goldmine’ with this ‘wonder pigeon’, because the line of this “Supercrack 327” lay at the basis of new ‘super cracks’ in the lofts of Pros Roosen… so is the “Olympiad 321/90” a grandson of his (via his daughter “Schilderij 401/83”), and is the “National 977/90” (winner 1° Nat Bourges 9.759p) a grandson of “Sister Supercrack 327”. The descendants of the world famous top breeding couple “Ieverige x Wonderduivin” by the Herbots brothers from Halle-Booienhoven produced no less than 14 x 1° National winners.
This “Wonderduivin” was also a “Sister of the Supercrack 327”!
-the period 1982 up to present. Whereby the pedigrees present from the first period were crossed against the ‘prime’ of Jos Soontjens from Wommelgem, where Pros bought a mass of pigeons, even more than 250 pigeons between 1982 and 1991. A new era dawned… 2 new ‘Supercracks’ saw the light of day, acting under the name of “Computer I” 903/82 and “Computer II” 876/85, in addition half-brothers stemming from the same father: “Tom”!

– The “Computer I”: was Ace pigeon KBDB, Ace pigeon B.D.S., won 9 x 1° Prizes (without doubles) and 20 x within the ‘first 3 prizes’ in the period 1983-1985.
-The “Computer II”: won 13 x 1° Prize, 56 x per 10 and 80 prizes
1° Prov Ace pigeon Sprint KBDB ‘89
2e Prov Ace pigeon Sprint KBDB ‘88
5° Nat. Ace pigeon Sprint KBDB ‘89
6° Prov Ace pigeon Sprint KBDB ‘90

Pigeons with unbelievable honours lists, with which Pros simply reduced the competition to shreds. With these exceptional super pigeons and their direct descendants Pros Roosen ‘terrorised’ the Limburg pigeon sport happenings for almost 20 years in the period 1982-2001. Impossible to race against… the Pros Roosen-pigeons were almost invincible, and when it had to be thumbs down… it was often against a pigeon with ‘Roosen blood’ in the veins.
In the region it was the topic of discussion for many … that the Roosen pigeons came home for ‘their boss’ (read: Pros), and not for their hen! Whoever aspired to a place in the breeding loft have to have won at least 3 x per 1000! Extraordinary selection standards … no wonder that Pros only has 4 breeding boxes, which all don’t have to be necessarily filled. Preferably no pigeons… than ordinary average pigeons! If Pros couldn’t find the necessary flow-through in his own loft, then he went searching, lying in wait for such a ‘stock bear’ here or there, to reel in. This is how he came across the wondrous ‘Chateauroux’ in 2001 (alias the ‘Antwerpenaar’), which Pros bought in the total auction of Romain Schots from Halen… in his ‘slipstream’ in 2003 the wonder breeder in the total auction of De Rauw-Sablon, the ‘Top breeder Freddy’!

You can further read the detailed pedigree here: “Click here”

The ‘Chateauroux’ B92-6451510
So as written in the introduction, it was impossible to race against the Pros Roosen pigeons in the Sprint and middle distance, so much so that Pros decided to start concentrating on the grand middle distance races, say the provincial and national classics of the middle distance. For this he went in search of a ‘stock breeder’ which could bring a bit more resistance, a bit more power and distance suitability to his ‘arrow quick’ Soontjes basis. He found this in the purchase of the “Chateauroux” 6451510/92, in the public auction of Romain Schots in 2001… where Pros scored ‘bulls-eye’!  The “Chateauroux” first won self:

Chateauroux   Club    281 p.    1
Prov      4.080 p.    1
Semi-Nat   12.914 p.    4
Bourges   Club    223 p.    1
FCW   6.317 p.    3
Nat.   18.657 p.    14
Orleans        Club         44 p.    1
Gewest      1.221 p.    9
Vierzon   Prov  3.733 p.    6

He developed in Kermt to a ‘Golden Stock father’! Pros coupled this 10 year old scamp with his best 3 hens (all with Soontjes blood in the veins). The results were amazing, take a look:
1)    5204431/97 daughter of the “Computer II Junior 349/92” (honours list above) was coupled with the “Chateauroux” parent of:

The “Tarzan” 5115302/03
1° Nanteuil        511 p.
8° Nanteuil (Mid.Limburg) 3.311 p.
1° Bourges        301 p.
14° Nat Bourges    14.207 p.
1° Melun        237 p.
4° Melun (Mid.Limburg) 1.719 p.
1° Nanteuil        229 p.
2° Nanteuil (Mid.Limburg)2.270 p.
1° Bourges        110 p.
9° Nat.Bourges        9.893 p.

The “418/03”: winner 1° Provincial Melun.

The “419/03” who was mother of the super youngster by N & E.Didden.

2)    The “Klein Aske” 50257001/01 (granddaughter of “Computer II Junior”) x the “Chateauroux” are the parents of
The “Flits” 5065636/04 won a cartload of top prizes with

1° Prov Melun        694 p. (fastest of 2.315 p.)
2° Nanteuil        2.334 p.
2° Vervins        1.607 p.
3° Nanteuil (Mid Limb)    4.103 p. (1° reg against 365 p)
4° Nanteuil        910 p.
5° Melun        2.175 p.
8° Nat. Bourges        10.759 p. (1° reg against 136 p)
11° Nanteuil        4.035 p.
22° Nanteuil        1.923 p.
24° Laon        1.458 p.
29° Prov La Ferte    2.325 p.  (1° reg against 117 p.)
50° Vierzon        6.928 p.

The “Joker” 5065076/04: won 2 x 1° Prize and further toppers so as
23° Prov. Orleans      7.272 p.
78° Nat. Bourges    16.500 p. in ‘05
96° Nat. Bourges    10.182 p. in ‘04
3)    The “Bourgeske” 5150456/00 won self :
4° Nat. Bourges 23.957 p.  ’02 (1° reg. against 491 p)
83° Nat. Bourges 16.119 p. ’01 (1° reg. against 204 p)
6° La Ferté 1.312 p.  (1° reg 146 p)
7° Prov Vierzon 1.479 p.
31° Nat. Argenton 4.955 p.
And further 15° Prov Orleans 1.773 p, 24° Melun 1.604 p (Mid. Limburg)…

Coupled with the “Chateauroux” she produced the “Wittikske Chateauroux” who in turn became mother of the super crack the “Blue Prins” 5065642/04 (honours list see further).

The ‘Top breeder Freddy’ B94-4407032
Pros was able to buy the super breeder for a rather ‘gentle price’ in the auction De Rauw-Sablon in 2003. He was bred in the lofts of Freddy Vandenheede in Zingem out the absolute basis couple “Antigoon x ’t Krijt”! He had already proved his enormous breeding worth in the lofts De Rauw-Sablon by bringing into the world exceptional ‘crack pigeons’ so as the ‘Dromer’ (and self already grandfather of the 1° Nat St.Vincent 25.807 p. in ’07 by Gerard Koopman, and grandfather of ‘Blue Ace’ or the 2° Nat Ace pigeon KBDB Long distance ’07 by Erik Limbourg), the ‘Kastaar’ and ‘Mr Expensive’ (father 1° Nat Orleans NPO  9.670 p. by Gerard Koopman), and ‘Brother Dromer’ (father 1° Nat Ace pigeon Long distance KBDB ’05: ‘Lucky 77’ by Erik Limbourg).

This then  9 year old clapper “Top breeder Freddy” was coupled in the lofts in Kermt with the following top hens :

1)    the “Wittikske Chateauroux” 5241862/03 (daughter of the “Chateauroux”) and directly produced the super crack “Blue Prins” 5065642/04 who has already noted down the following tops:
2° Prov. Vierzon      6.928 p. ‘07
4° Nat. Bourges        12.754 p. ‘05
11° Nat. Bourges    10.759 p. ‘06

2)    the “Daughter 1° Nat Bourges” 5065272/02 (out the 1° Nat Bourges 9.759 p) produced in 2° generation –the top racer “Fantast” 5100731/06 that won 4 x top in 6 races as a yearling with:

6° Laon        538 p.
12° Nanteuil                  4.806 p.
19° Melun                  1.832 p.
33° Prov Gien                  5.031 p.

-The “Chequered Vierzon” 5100716/06 won self 2° Prov Vierzon 953 p.
-The “Granddaughter Freddy” 5100715/06 (nest sister of the “Geschelpte Vierzon”) won self
97° Nat La Souterraine    18.953 p.
351° Nat Argenton     14.534 p.
Pros clearly has obviously introduced a new ‘golden breeding line’ with this “Top breeder Freddy”, that much is clear… this is also evident with the current ‘super pigeon’ at the moment in the lofts of Pros Roosen, in the form of the ‘Super Asduifke’ B07-5112357.
The ‘Super Asduifke’ B07-5112357
The current banner holder of the colony Pros Roosen. She is a granddaughter of ‘Top breeder Freddy’… as daughter of ‘Grandson 1° Nat Bourges 646/00’ x ‘Daughter Top breeder Freddy 491/05’ (a full sister of the ‘Blue Prins’). Her honours list in one to make your mouth water, enjoy with me:
In 2008:

1° Ace pigeon Province Limburg ‘Grand middle distance’
2° Ace pigeon ‘Grand middle distance’ Centre & Est
18/5 Salbris      Prov  1.386 p. 54  (457 Km)
24/5 Bourges      Prov  1.133 p. 178 (477 Km)
08/6 Chateauroux  Prov  3.130 p. 155 (528 Km)
22/6 Montluçon    S/Nat 8.619 p. 26  (548 Km)
05/7 Argenton     S/Nat 3.246 p. 18  (557 Km)
19/7 Chateauroux  S/Nat 4.103 p. 20  (528 Km)
27/7 Bourges      S/Nat 5.178 p. 64  (477 Km)
In 2009:
02/5 Sens      30 Clubs 2.809 p. 124 (337 Km)
09/5 Gien         Prov  5.079 p. 16  (409 Km)
16/5 Salbris      Prov  4.360 p. 276 (457 Km)
23/5 Sens      30 Clubs 1.292 p. 76  (337 Km)
30/5 Gien         Prov  2.221 p. 119 (409 Km)
07/6 Chateauroux  Prov  2.424 p. 265 (528 Km)
21/6 Montluçon    S/Nat 4.425 p. 55  (548 Km)
06/8 Argenton     Nat.  5.034 p. 48  (557 Km)
13/8 La Souterraine Z.C 2.038 p. 3   (593 Km)

It is clear that the colony Pros Roosen has pure ‘breeding gold’ in its breeding boxes with stock bears so as the ‘Flits’, the ‘Blue Prins’, the ‘Tarzan’, and  the ‘Fantast’, coupled with top hens so as the ‘Bourgeske’ , the ‘Super Asduifke’ etc, who have brought his colony to the highest provincial podium in 2009 in the province Limburg in the Middle distance! But the Pros Roosen pigeons have also proven their enormous breeding and racing talents in other lofts… No wonder, because when Pros gives something away, it is always something out the very best, a pigeon in which he has great trust, and many fanciers who looked for reinforcements in Kermt can confirm this. We are thinking of the following fanciers who recently shot to the top with direct descendants out the Pros Roosen breeding loft:
–Jos Thoné from As. Bought the voucher from Pros Roosen in the ‘Gouden Duif’ … a ‘Daughter 1° Nat Bourges 265/02’, who was immediately mother of his super hen ‘Magna Carta’ (won 71 prizes including 5 x ‘top 100’ National and Semi/Nat… and was 1° Ace pigeon Semi-Nat in 2007, 7° Olympiad pigeon Oostende ’07… and was one of the most expensive pigeons in the ‘Jewels of the Sky’ auction from 2008 by PiPa). In 2009 this breeding mother returned to the loft of Pros Roosen and was directly mother of the 1° prize Sens against 2.738 youngsters!

–Pierre Mathys received a voucher from Pros Roosen, the 5115498/03, which directly developed into an excellent breeding pigeon. A ‘Son’ ring 06-5078292 was crowned in 2009 as 4° Ace pigeon Long distance in ‘Long distance club Limburg’ and 50% of his performances lay at the basis of the winning of the title 1° Champion Limburg Long distance club 2009.
A second son of this Roosen pigeon, the 04-5015862 won a total of 59 prizes, wherefrom 40 x per 10, with 4 x 1° Prizes. A third son 06-5078357 was crowned in the lofts of Guido Franssen from Kinrooi as 1° Prov Ace pigeon Sprint KBDB, and 3° Nat. Ace pigeon Sprint KBDB 2009!

–Dirk Leekens-Hermans from As also bought a gift from Pros Roosen in the ‘Gouden Duif’ (03-5241896) which developed in As to a magnificent breeding pigeon. from which several phenomenal crack pigeons have been bred, they can confirm this in Limburg in 2009!

Nails then with very big heads, which perfectly reflect the enormous capacities of the current Pros Roosen pigeon! No wonder that he will later once again be crowned as the absolute ‘NR 1’from Limburg in the Middle Distance for his magnificent 2009 sport season… with such a colony ‘bathing’ in a luxury of top talent. Nothing seems to be able to come between the march towards national top. The slightly expanded team of racing pigeons for 2010 will definitely sign for ‘guarantee’… a beautiful collection, one for one bred from the above cited ‘stock bears’! Pigeons that will keep the colony Pros Roosen in ‘world fame’, and be ready to follow in the footsteps of their ‘classy’ parents!

A few top performances from 2009

Nat Zone C 6.226 YL 17-1321
07/6 Couvin      1.752 Jo 2-8-9-10-11-12-34-35-36-40-46-53-59… 36/58
13/6 Reims         752 Jo 1-2-5-6-11-24-41-41-45-53-59-61-73 etc(33)
22/6 Montluçon   4.425 OD 55-468 (2 first nominated from 3)
29/6 Argenton      189 OD 1 (2)
Nat 9.901 OD 21-2474 (2)
04/7 Sens        2.736 Jo 1-4-7-10-28-77-102-106-107-135 etc…
04/7 Vichy         103 YL 1  (10 minute lead over 2nd p)
S.Nat. 2.781 YL 11 (2)
64 OD 1  (17 min. lead over 2nd p)
11/7 Orleans Pro 9.383 Jo 2-38-70-154-155-191-250-269-291… 19/35
18/7 Vierzon     1.020 Jo 4-32-58-72 (first 4 nominated from 6p)
25/7 Bourges Nat 37357 Jo 126-202-318-347-573-729-1301-1400… 17/21
01/8 La Ferte      431 Jo 1-4-7-8-10…
Pro 5.374 Jo 6-15-28-32-35-67-152-277-280… 15/36
08/8 Argenton      129 p. 1…
Nat 5.034 p. 48-449 (3)
15/8 Troyes      1.011 Jo 1-38-79-80-99-152-190 (15)
22/8 L.Souterraine
Nat Zone C 2.038 Jo 3 (1 entered)